The sport of volleyball originated in the United States around the turn of the century. Since that time, volleyball has experienced tremendous growth in popularity and has become an important part of many collegiate and high school athletic programs as well as an Olympic sport.
A volleyball game is begun by a server hitting or serving a ball over a net to a receiving team. The receiving team then has three contacts to return the ball over the net. These three contacts will usually include a pass to the net area, a set to an attacker, and an attack which usually consists of a spike across the net, the objective being to hit the ball to the floor in the opposing team's court area. The opposing team's first line of defense to the attack is the block. The block may be formed by one, two or three players depending on the situation and the team's strategy. The object of the block is to intercept an attacked ball before, during, or immediately after it crosses the net.
Consequently, an important skill that volleyball players must develop is the ability to target block and tip the volleyball at the net. Thus, volleyball coaches have evolved many practice drills to teach these skills to volleyball players. However, the effectiveness of the drills could be increased dramatically if an effective training aid were developed that would simulate placement of a volleyball above the net so that players may practice target blocking and setters may practice tipping at the net.